<p>Hi, Im an admittee to the class of 2009 . I also got into U. Chicago and Dartmouth (among others). Im seriously considering going to Oberlin, though. My main question (which I did not see when I visited a class at Oberlin, but I was only there for a day) is : how intellectually engaged are the students? Since you dont have to have a very high average or SAT score to get into Oberlin from my school, Im a little concerned about the intellectual environment there. I could be entirely wrong, however , because I know that Oberlin is known as an academic place. Any help would be greatly appreciated.<br>
THanks,</p>
<p>I agree with Dave - I think SAT score has very little corrolation with intellectuality and academic curiosity. Oberlin is a pretty relaxed place, people like to have fun, but everyone I know that is either considering Oberlin or goes there is extremely thoughtful and intellectually curious. People are also generally very political at Oberlin (although this certainly does not apply to everyone), and tend to care about "the issues" rather deeply.</p>
<p>"how intellectually engaged are the students?"</p>
<p>Intellectually. aren't we tired of those lesser brains with little knowledge and insight in any field pretend to sound sophisticated and wise, and end up only revealing their vanity and idiocy. I'm tired of intellectuals. sick</p>
<p>Excellent liberal arts colleges have one great advantage. You, the inexperianced and uncertain undergrad, are being taught by professors who not only are deeply committed to teaching as it's own art, but also are respected scholars in their own fields. </p>
<p>The student body at oberlin is by and large intellectually engaged--more interesting and interested than you are expecting them to be. Equally important, you can get an education there that will allow you to do pretty much what you want academically.</p>
<p>also, U of Chicago will kill you dead. High stress and competition. Academic excellence, of course, but...you sell your soul. If you can handle being surrounded by miles and miles of soy-bean fields, with Cleveland as your nearest urban center, oberlin can be an unbelievably supportive and nourishing environment.</p>